Hitherto, as organic metal compounds having a solubility in organic solvents, naphthenic acid metal salts are known. Since metal salts such as Pb salts, Co salts, Mn salts, etc., of naphthenic acid are resinous, have a high solubility for fat and oil solvents, and have a high metal content, these metal salts are widely used as a dryer for increasing the drying property of a paint and a varnish by adding thereto a small amount thereof. Also, metal salts such as Cu salts, Zn salts, etc., of naphthenic acid have an insecticidal activity and hence are used as insecticidal and germicidal agents, a ship bottom coating, wood preservatives, etc. However, since the aforesaid compound itself has no polymerizability and does not have a sufficient solubility for a liquid monomer forming a polymer, the compound can not be utilized as one component for a copolymerization reaction.
Also, a metal alkoxide is generally soluble in an organic solvent and is utilized for producing a functional thin film or layer by a dipping method on a spinner method.
However, although a metal alkoxide has a high reactivity, tile metal alkoxide is hydrolyzed even by the moisture in air owing to the property of being very easily hydrolyzed and further is caused to react with carbon dioxide. Thus, the operation of dissolving the metal alkoxide in an organic solvent and the operation of recovering it must be performed in a gloved box (replaced with dry nitrogen gas) for preventing contact with air. Also, in the case of storing a metal alkoxide, a closed container must be used.
Furthermore, metal alkoxides other than the alkoxide of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals have a property of being volatile, thereby they are hard to handle. Also, according to the kinds of metals, the solubility of metal alkoxides in an organic solvent differs as well as the solubility of metal alkoxides is generally not high. Thus, it is difficult to obtain an organic metal compound showing the characteristics of the metal according to the kind of the metal.